


my child arrived

by torigates



Category: Women of the Otherworld - Kelley Armstrong
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-22
Updated: 2013-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-05 13:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1094353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/torigates/pseuds/torigates
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four Father's Days</p>
            </blockquote>





	my child arrived

**Author's Note:**

  * For [empressearwig](https://archiveofourown.org/users/empressearwig/gifts).



7\. 

 

Lucas was confused when Miss Santiago said they were going to be using their craft time this week to make cards for Father’s Day on Sunday. 

He put up his hand. 

“Yes, Lucas?” Miss Santiago asked when she spotted him. 

“Father’s day isn’t this weekend,” he said. 

She looked at him. “Yes it is. It’s this Sunday. That’s why we’re working on crafts, so you can give them to your Papá.” 

Lucas scrunched up his face but didn’t argue further. Mamá always said it was important to listen to Miss Santiago and to learn from her. His Papá said the same thing. But he was _sure_ Papá wasn’t coming to visit this weekend. Mamá said he was coming _next_ Sunday. For Father’s Day. 

He sat quietly and worked on the card. No matter when Father’s Day was, Papá was coming next weekend, and Lucas wanted to have something nice to give him. Papá always said he had to work his hardest and be the best. And that was what Lucas was going to do. 

He was still feeling confused and upset at dinner that night. “What’s wrong, mi amor?” Mamá asked. 

Lucas took a big bite of his dinner and chewed with his mouth closed for several moments to avoid answering. His mother waited patiently. 

“We made Father’s Day cards in school today,” he finally muttered. 

“Ah,” Maria said. 

“Miss Santiago said that Father’s Day was _this_ weekend. But you and Papá said it was next weekend, when he was coming to visit!” His voice rose at the end, and Lucas felt tears burning at the back of his eyes. He didn’t want to cry, because Papá said that big boys didn’t cry, and Lucas was a big boy. 

“Ah, cariño…”

Lucas didn’t wait to hear what she was going to say. He pushed away from the table, and ran to his room, slamming the door. Then he jumped on his bed and let himself cry just a little bit. 

It wasn’t that Lucas didn’t understand that his father sometimes lied to him. Lucas knew that he lied. A lot. In this case he even understood why Papá had done it. Lucas knew about his brothers even though he has never met them. Papá sometimes talked about taking Lucas to the office, to show him what he does, but so far it hasn’t happened. 

Later, Maria knocked on the door and poked her head inside his bedroom. “Are you finished your homework?” she asked.

Lucas nodded from where he was lying on his bed, his face still mushed up against the pillow. There was a wet spot underneath him from his tears, but he knew Mamá wouldn’t say anything. 

The floorboards creaked, and another moment later she was sitting on the edge of his bed. She rubbed his back, and Lucas choked back another sob. 

“You know your Papá loves you,” she said. 

“I know,” Lucas said, his voice muffled from his bedding. 

“And he wants to be here,” she told him. “But he wants to be with your brothers too.” 

Lucas knew that as well. He just thought--he _hoped_ , rather--that Papá had chosen to spend time with Lucas first for a change. His brothers got to keep Papá all the time. He was always with them, it wasn’t fair. 

Maria sighed. “Okay, mi amor. Don’t forget to brush your teeth and change into your pajamas before bed.” 

Lucas nodded but stayed where he was. 

Sunday morning Lucas crawled into his mother’s bed and presented her with the Father’s Day card he had made in class. She smiled and kissed him, and the two of them went down to the kitchen to make pancakes. 

 

13\. 

 

“Lucas! Did you call your father?” Maria only yelled at him in Spanish when she was really annoyed. 

He sighed. “I’m calling now!” 

Lucas sighed, but didn't reach for the phone. He didn't exactly want to talk to his father right now, and Maria was insisting.

"It's Father's Day, mi amor," she had said. "I know it would mean a lot to your Papá if you called him."

Lucas knew it would mean a lot to Benicio. That was the main reason he didn't want to call his father. Lucas didn't care if he was being petty. He didn't care that Benicio was away on a business trip, and not spending time with _any_ of his sons. He just didn't care.

"Lucas!" Maria called again. "I don't hear you dialing."

Lucas made a face, but knew better than to say anything. Even if he were dialing there would be no way for his mother to hear him. He sighed and stood up, walked across the room and picked up the phone.

The dial tone blared loudly for several moments before Lucas dialed his father's office number. Despite being a Sunday, his secretary answered.

"Benicio Cortez's office."

"Hi Gloria, it's Lucas."

"Hello, Lucas," she said warmly. "You want to speak to your dad?"

Want was maybe a strong word, but Lucas wasn't about to get into it with one of his dad's employees. "Yeah," he said. "I mean, if he's available."

She laughed warmly. "He gave me specific instructions to put you right through to him if you were to call. Just hold for a sec, okay hon?"

"Sure," he said.

Benicio was visiting the New York satellite office on business. Lucas didn't know the specifics of what his dad was doing. Benicio never said. Lucas was mad because they were supposed to spend the day together, just the two of them, before his dad had been pulled suddenly away. Lucas knew it wasn't really Benicio's fault, and even worse, Lucas knew he was being childish. He just couldn't help himself. He was really looking forward to spending time with his dad, and now it wasn't going to happen.

"Lucas," his father's voice came on the line. He sounded happy.

"Hello, Papá," he said. "Happy Father's Day."

Benicio laughed over the line. "Thank you," he said warmly. "Now tell me why you sound so upset. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Lucas mumbled. "Really, Papá. I promise."

"Nonsense. I can hear it in your voice, something is bothering you."

Lucas sighed, and wondered what he could say to get his father to change the subject. "We got our math tests back on Friday," he said.

"Excellent, how did that go?"

Lucas talked about his grade while trying to sound like he wasn't bragging about his A. While his father congratulated him and asked him questions about his schoolwork and other classes, Lucas found himself trying to hold onto his previous anger and disappointment. It was difficult when faced with such obvious enthusiasm and love from his father.

They talked for a while longer before Benicio had to go to a lunch meeting. Lucas bit down more disappointment, and tried to sound cheerful when Benicio promised they would get together the following weekend.

"Take care, Lucas," he said. "I love you."

"You too, Papá. Happy Father's Day."

Lucas just wished it was easier to hate his father.

 

21.

 

The door banged loudly behind him when Lucas walked out of his dorm building.

Across the courtyard there was a large man dressed in a tailored suit. He was wearing dark sunglasses, and despite his attempts at a relaxed stance he couldn't have looked more out of place if he tried.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "I told him I was busy," he called across the way.

Griffin laughed. "You know I don't make that call," he said. "I just show up where I'm told to be and look menacing."

"I highly doubt my father told you to come over here and menace me," he said.

Griffin grinned. "Maybe that was just my interpretation."

Lucas smiled and shook his head. He fell into step with Griffin, letting him lead the way to wherever his father had parked. It wouldn't do any good to argue with Benicio's bodyguard, and besides, Lucas actually liked Griffin. It wouldn't be fair to continue an argument he was having with his father with one of his father's employees.

He climbed into the back of Benicio's limo where his father was sitting calmly like he knew Lucas would come all along. Well, Lucas thought, he wasn't wrong.

"Papá," he said. "I told you I was busy."

His father smiled. "No, you said you were too busy to come home for the weekend."

Lucas sighed again because that was true. He had tried to say he couldn't come home because he had too much school work. Out of some kind of--Lucas didn't know--desire to spare his father's feelings, or the persistent habit of not wanting to let his father down. He should have known better.

"You shouldn't have come all this way," he settled on, resigned. It didn't matter now, Benicio was here and Lucas wasn't cruel enough to send him away without spending at least some time with him.

"Nonsense," Benicio said. "It's Father's Day, and I wanted to spend some time with my son. It was no trouble, Lucas. I know how important school is to you, I won't take up too much of your day."

Lucas bit down on the urge to ask about his other sons. That was a fight neither of them would win, and neither one of them would come out of that conversation happy. "That's great, Papá. Thank you."

Benicio beamed at him. "Now," he said, clapping his hands. "Where do you want to go for breakfast?"

His father chatted about some of the restaurants he at which had taken business meetings in the past, each sounding more extravagant than the last. Finally, Lucas interrupted to suggest the diner a few blocks over.

Benicio's face fell just a little, but he smiled, and Lucas gave directions to Troy who was sitting in the driver’s seat.

Once they were seated inside, with Troy and Griffin at a separate table, Benicio turned his full attention to Lucas and began to ask him questions about his classes, professors, friends, extracurricular activities.

It was a nice meal and Lucas was reminded why his father made such an excellent CEO, why people like Troy and Griffin followed him so loyally. He cared about people, at least in his own way, and he showed interest in them and in their lives. Lucas didn't have a problem with that, of course. It was only when he used that apparent interest against people with which Lucas took an issue.

"Where are we going?" Lucas asked once they were back in the car and _apparently_ taking Lucas back to his dorm. Except they were driving in the completely wrong direction.

"Just taking a drive," Benicio said mildly.

Lucas knew that tone. He was intimately familiar with that tone, and there was nothing innocent about it. It was Benicio's 'I want to present an idea to you and you're not going to like it but I'm going to act like _you're_ being the difficult one' tone of voice.

"Papá..." he said.

Benicio just smiled at him. A few minutes later they pulled up beside a house with a SOLD sign displayed proudly on the lawn. Lucas groaned internally.

"What are we doing here?" he asked.

"Just taking a look around," Benicio said, stepping out of the car.

The two of them got out, Lucas trailing reluctantly behind his father. Benicio let them inside with a key he just happened to have in his pocket, and began pointing out the selling points. It was three bed, two bath, completely furnished, close to campus, everything a student could want.

"No," Lucas said, when Benicio had finished the tour.

"What?" his father asked. "You don't even know what I'm going to say."

"I don't have to! It's always the same. You want me to live here, or somewhere else, you don't want me living in the dorms, you want to control--"

"I don't want to control you, Lucas. I'm just trying to give you something nice. I don't understand why you want to live in that dirty, smelly, small--"

"You're right," Lucas interrupted. "You _don't_ understand. I said I don't want it. I didn't want the last one, and I'm not going to want the next one. Can't you let it go?"

Benicio sighed. "I just want to look after you, Lucas. Take care of you. What's so wrong about that?"

His stomach sank. "There's nothing wrong with that, Papá," he said. "Can you just let me try and do things my way? Please?"

Benicio didn't say anything, just turned and walked back to the car.

Lucas followed.

Back at the door, Lucas lingered in the car. "Thank you for coming, Papá," he said eventually. "Happy Father's Day."

Lucas leaned over and hugged him before stepping out of the vehicle and walking back to his dorm.

 

38\. 

 

“No running!” 

Paige’s yell was the only warning Lucas got before two small bodies barrelled on top of him. 

“Happy Father’s Day, daddy!” 

Lucas raised his head blearily off his pillow to see the blurry outline of his children next to him on the bed. He reached across and grabbed his glasses off the bedside table and put them on, bringing the room into focus. 

Gabby and Ben were bouncing at the foot of the bed, and already pulled most of the covers around them to make a “nest.” Lucas smiled at them fondly, and looked over to their bedroom door. Paige was leaning against it with a smile on her face. She was carrying two mugs of coffee, and as she walked across the room Lucas shifted so he was resting against the headboard. 

She handed him one of the cups, and sat down on the edge. “Sorry,” she said with a smile and a kiss. “I told them not to bother you yet, but,” she shrugged. “They’re excited.” 

Lucas smiled. “It’s okay,” he said.

“There’s breakfast downstairs,” she said. 

Lucas nodded. “In a minute.” 

The kids were rolled up tight in the covers and making chirping noises, pretending to be baby birds. “Feed us, daddy!” Gabby yelled excitedly. 

Lucas put his coffee down and crawled down the bed, holding his arm up with pretend “worms.” “I don’t know,” he said sternly. “Only good little birdies get fed.” 

Ben looked so outraged, Lucas struggled not to laugh. “ _We’re_ good,” he said. 

At that, Lucas really did laugh. “So you are.” He dropped them a worm each and then made loud gobbling noises. Then he tickled them until they screamed delightedly. 

“Okay, okay!” Paige called after a minute. “No more worms, you’ll ruin your appetite.” 

“Pancakes!” Gabby screamed and ran down the hall. 

“No running on the stairs!” Paige called halfheartedly after her. 

“We should probably follow them,” Lucas said after a moment, knowing full well what their children could get up to unsupervised. 

Paige shrugged. “Eh,” she said. “We’ve got a minute.” Then she swung herself into his lap. 

After they had eaten, and Gabby and Ben presented Lucas with the cards they had made for him Paige and Lucas began the lengthy process of getting their kids ready to leave the house. 

“I’ll do the dishes if you get them changed,” Paige offered. 

Lucas just looked at her and raised an eyebrow. “What do you take me for?” he asked. “No deal.” 

Paiged sighed with her entire body. “Fine,” she said. “Being Father’s Day, I guess I can let you have this one.” 

Lucas laughed and leaned over to kiss her. “Like you didn’t spend nearly the entire day in bed on Mother’s Day.” 

Paige looked a bit sheepish. “Oh right,” she said, and kissed him again. 

“All right, you two,” she said turning on their terrors. “Upstairs, let’s go, let’s go, we’re going to meet your abuelo in less than an hour.” 

Lucas snorted to himself. Like that was going to happen. As he did the dishes and tidied up the kitchen he could hear squeals of laughter, and Paige’s cajoling as they all got ready. After a moment, he took the stairs himself. 

He poked his head into the bathroom where his kids were brushing their teeth. “Front and back,” told them. 

Gabby grinned with a mouth full of toothpaste. “Grr!” she said. 

Lucas kissed the top of her head. “You’re a monster!” 

Finally, the four of them made it out of the house with minimal tears and climbed into the car. The drive across the city was only slightly congested for a Sunday morning. Everyone visiting family. 

When they pulled into his father’s driveway, the kids were practically vibrating out of their seats. Lucas wasn’t the slightest bit sorry to be inflicting them on their grandfather. 

“Abuelo!” Ben struggled against his car seat when he saw his namesake. 

Rather than wait for them by the door, Benicio walked hurriedly over to the vehicle, greeting Paige with a quick hug before turning his attention towards his grandchildren. 

“Hello Papá,” Lucas said. “Happy Father’s Day.” 

Benicio smiled at him, but before he could reply Gabby and Ben were chiming in with their own Father’s Day wishes and pulling out the cards they had made for him and talking about school, and the pancakes they’d had for breakfast and a million things Lucas could hardly keep up with.

Paige smiled next to him, and intertwined her fingers with his. “Hard to believe, huh?” she asked him. 

“Yeah,” Lucas said. It really was.

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t want to imply that everything between Lucas and Benicio is happily resolved, although I have certainly ended this fic on a happy moment. I thought it was nice way to go full circle so to speak from Benicio putting other things about Lucas at the beginning to Lucas and his family clearly being the most important thing at the end. I’m sure the two of them still constantly fight, and their relationship is always going to be an uphill battle, but that’s the way it goes with family sometimes, even when they’re terrible and making you want to pull out your hair sometimes they still have the ability to pull you back in, you still love them. At least, that’s how Lucas and Benicio have always appeared to me. Also, I wanted to show a happy moment between the two of them, considering the other three skew towards the negative side of their relationship. There is good and bad to every relationship, and I think Armstrong really does a good job of showcasing that while Benicio might not always have Lucas’ best interests at heart, he often does and he _always_ loves his son. 
> 
> I wasn’t able to work it into the last section, and I wanted it to be more slice of life than exposition-y but Lucas and Paige have moved to Miami (most likely so Lucas can take on a larger role in the Cabal. Also, their kids are twins: Gabrielle Ruth Cortez and Luis Benicio Cortez :) (and if the fic itself didn't give me away, these author's notes certainly have, haha)


End file.
